New Mayor Carl Strye Jr. said he wants to launch a fundraising campaign for the pool in which those contributing would have their names printed on bricks somewhere in the park.

Council is holding a special meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in council chambers to further discuss the issue and approved a contract with Wallover's firm to develop a plan for a new pool.

Wallover, in conjunction with Spillman Farmer Architects, drafted a pool feasibility study in Easton in 2008 designed to open the city to more grant funding and lay out a long-range plan for making the Heil and Eddyside pools more self-sustaining.

When reached by telephone prior to tonight’s meeting, Wallover estimated $5 million would pay for new decks, a new filter, a new pool and bathhouse. He estimated the new pool would be about half the size of the current pool.

Wallover said the bathhouse, also about 75 years old, is not up to federal codes.

"When it was built, none of the codes today were even contemplated back then," Wallover said.

Council previously agreed to spend $242,612 for new pool filters, which will now be placed into storage until the new pool project begins.

Wallover previously said a quick fix won’t work because couplings on some of the old steel and PVC pipes won’t be able to handle the pressure of a modern filtration system. It takes eight hours to filter all the water in the pool when state regulations say it must be filtered in six hours, he said. And the walls and floor of the pool are cracking, he previously said.

He predicted a 2015 opening for the new pool.

Borough officials previously said pool funds could only come from three areas: future borrowing, a property tax increase or grant funding. A property increase of one mill would cover borrowing $2 million for more than 20 years. Borough officials plan to contact legislators to pursue grant funding.

Council members also have said they would explore neighboring municipalities to see if borough residents could use their pool for the summer.

Issues with the pool date back to 2004. Rather than replace it, officials at the time elected to just replace the filter system.